Pipeline Throughput Optimization
A holistic approach to pipeline performance considers multiple aspects of operational and maintenance management. Flow instabilities, thermal issues, blockages and restrictions, containment loss and operational fluctuations all can impact the safe and economical transportation of media through pipeline assets. This is supported through understanding where the pinch points are in a system or where improvements can be made to improve efficiencies and throughput effectiveness.
It all starts with a consultation, data collection and analysis to identify what needs to be implemented to optimize throughput performance and efficiency gains. We recognize the importance of quantifying improvement changes through monitoring, reporting and adjusting operational and maintenance parameters to sustain throughput and maintain savings. Our expertise in pipeline throughput optimization is gathered from decades of exposure to pipeline performance challenges worldwide and supported by our multidisciplinary teams of engineers and consultants.
Routes to pipeline throughput optimization
Regular pipeline pigging and condition monitoring ensure the best performance of your asset. Our pipeline pigging services include fit for purpose cleaning pigs, instruments for tracking and monitoring cleaning progress, pigging run effectiveness and best practice guidance on cleaning approaches which consider system, operational and condition complexities within the asset.
Pipeline pigging
An uneven deposit buildup of only 5% of the pipeline cross sectional area can reduce throughput by up to 35%, requiring an increase of pressure to 140% to maintain constant flow. Pipeline pigging assures asset owners of safe and continuous throughput, optimizing your pipeline system performance. Superior performance through the deployment of pipeline pigging reduces installation and maintenance costs while extending pipeline longevity and product capacity. Depending on the lifecycle position and operating conditions, all pipelines are unique, and pigging may be commissioned at any stage in the pipeline lifecycle.
Pipeline cleaning pigs
To ensure optimal flow performance, cleaning pigs are required throughout your pipeline lifecycle, starting with pre-commissioning and finishing with decommissioning.
Our extensive fleet of pipeline cleaning pigs is designed and constructed in-house. This fleet offers exceptional pipe passage and performance and high wear resistance by using polyurethane materials. Our common platform-based design for our cleaning pigs allows for a high degree of flexibility to equip our tools with components that enable their use in many applications. These include dewatering, debris removal, heavy duty cleaning, batching and gauging.
Situation analysis with tool tracking and locating systems
Maintaining your pipeline asset performance requires up-to-date condition monitoring and status data. Our expertise in sensor design and data acquisition is enabled through a portfolio of high technology bespoke instrumentation. Sensor technologies incorporate robust and compact designs that facilitate a range of pigging applications. We provide a suite of sophisticated instrumentation solutions for tracking and monitoring, providing you with actionable insights that optimize pipeline performance. This includes electronic tool detectors (EPD), pipeline data loggers (PDL), intelligent transmitters (ITX), above ground benchmarkers (BM) and marker magnets (MM).
Flow assurance consultancy
Operational efficiency and optimized asset performance are vital for pipeline operators. Leveraging our decades of experience, our flow assurance consultancy offers insights for optimizing your pipeline’s performance.
We solve your flow assurance challenges, such as fluid characterization, state and phase flow modelling, slugging prediction, capacity constraint analysis and pigging feasibility by combining knowledge and experience of multidisciplinary engineering experts with an extensive suite of industry-leading software. This software includes OLGA, LedaFlow and Multiflash, in conjunction with Python and MATLAB mathematical modeling software.